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By: Angela Arguelles

Sometimes what you see is not what you get. And that is a part of what is great about the world we live in. If I were to drive past Harry’s Market, with it’s monochrome signage I would never, ever think to stop for more than an emergency bag of Funyuns and a can of Guayaki. I couldn’t conceive of a more unremarkable locale. Once I stepped inside, I just had a feeling it was gonna work out. Derek Muro immediately warmed my heart with his Death Angel hat and soundtrack to match. He proudly proclaims his association as a graduate of CIMC, the California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc which enables Native American Entrepreneurs to achieve their goals. The menu is short and sweet, with variations on authentic Native American fry bread. According to the sign, they use Blue Bird flour, which after a quick search is the gold standard for the most legitimate fry bread to be had. Derek is serving up a huge portion of delicately fried scratch made dough filled with meaty, salty, unctuous goodness worthy of healing anything from a broken heart to a mean hangover. And if by some odd circumstance you are not into tacos, they also have a pizza version or a rez dog on a stick to satisfy all your savory cravings. One Super Native Taco is enough to feed more than one or have a hearty lunch the next day. If you’re feeling a sweet tooth coming on, you can opt for a dessert version with wildberry jam or honey cinnamon. Either way, bring a dish towel or some wet naps because you are gonna get messy.

Get Fresh

HENHOUSE BREWING COMPANY

“So,” you might ask, “what’s up with the fresh beer?” And if you stop into their laidback Santa Rosa Brewery Tasting Room on Bellevue Avenue the fellas behind Henhouse would be more than happy to tell you that beer, especially today’s super-hoppy pales and IPA’s, are way more perishable than you might think.
And it’s those hazy, hoppy weekly-released freshies that have skyrocketed Henhouse to elite status in the SR beer scene. Putting their process where their commitment to freshness is, Henhouse goes to great lengths to make sure the beer you find in stores, bars and eateries is still in its prime.

Now, if you’re not just a hop-aholic, Henhouse has a few other unique varietals readily-available. Unique, meaning like appropriately out there but surprisingly approachable. Their Oyster Stout is a big seller. In Saisons they have one that’s brewed with black pepper and coriander, a Black Saison and, you heard it right, Red Rye Saison. Like Gose? Henhouse makes one called Juiced! with boysenberry. If you’re around in early February, see if you can get your hands on a Big Chicken. It’s an annual release double IPA that, like Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, really get the beer geek crowd clucking.

You can try them all at the taproom, and may we recommend you take the flight of six – a guided tasting experience with six 4 oz. pours. Which, by the way, we have to call out the friendly staff and tap wranglers at Henhouse. Despite the big buzz around these beers, the people here are about as nice as you’ll find anywhere. The vibe is super chill, warehousy but with a friendly warmth, dog-friendly with plenty of room inside and out. Rotating food trucks roll in every day but Monday. We’d be tempted to hang out all day, but it’s time to fly this coop and move on.

The Brewery Tasting Room in Santa Rosa is open Monday > Friday 2 PM to 9 PM and on Saturdays and Sundays they open at 11.

It Takes Three

3 DECIPLES BREWERY

Look, over on Mendocino Avenue. It’s a brewing company. It’s a taproom. Wait, it’s an event space. In fact, 3 Disciples is all three. So, let’s start with a few beers. When three beer-loving buddies got together to turn their adherent following of the gospel of hops into a brewery, their mission was clear. James, Matt and Luke set out to make beers that they would love, in the hopes that followers would come to see the light. (And the dark and the hazy for that matter.) Turns out, their favorite beers cover a crazy-wide range of styles. On the list at any given time you’ll find a Gose, a Saison, a Marzen, even a Hard Seltzer. In between there’s every kind of ale, from Pat’s Blue Ribbon Pilsner to a Meet the Coneheads Hazy IPA and an Imperial Stout called Lunar Halo. If you want some eats with your brew, 3 Disciplines has partnerships with a handful of right-around-the-corner restaurants. Order up and it arrives fresh and hot in a few minutes.

3 Disciplines Brewing doesn’t brew on site, but that just saves room for The Room. As you walk past the bar, through a spacious hang-out area and outside courtyard, you come to the event space. It’s like nothing else you’ve ever seen at a brew pub. With a decent size room for live shows, 3 Disciples has quickly become one of Santa Rosa’s top event venues. Just a quick peruse of their event calendar reveals a range of musical styles, comedy shows, including the popular Family Feud. There are webcasts and big games on the giant screen. It’s a great gig with amazing beer. Heavenly.

3 Disciples is open Monday > Thursday from 2 PM to 10 PM, Friday from 1 PM to 11 PM, Satureday from Noon to 11 PM and Sunday Noon to 9 PM.

By: Angela Arguelles

Let me just say, I’m sorry. Because after you try this ice cream, you can’t go back. I’m not even a dessert person. I could easily eat a cheese plate and be totally satisfied. Now that I know it exists I can’t not eat it. Inside, Dave’s Market, a convenience store right off the 12, it is so easy to stop by that it could seriously affect my pretend Keto diet. Dave has been doing this nitro ice cream for quite awhile and it shows. The love is totally there with their commitment to organic whole ingredients and the perfect flavor combinations. I had bacon maple and as I was told by Lisa, the one that I adore, I was not surprised that it was some house made pork perfection. I also had the cookies and cream with fresh raspberries and apple pie a la mode. It’s ridiculous and they have the harvest fair ribbons to prove it. If you own a local restaurant you need to have this. Your customers will thank you. If you are lucky enough to not own a restaurant, want to impress your friends, or have no dessert skills then I guess we just worked some things out.